diff --git a/js/components/ascribe_forms/form.js b/js/components/ascribe_forms/form.js
index 0e3517a2..a0b2d251 100644
--- a/js/components/ascribe_forms/form.js
+++ b/js/components/ascribe_forms/form.js
@@ -238,7 +238,16 @@ let Form = React.createClass({
     renderChildren() {
         return ReactAddons.Children.map(this.props.children, (child, i) => {
             if (child) {
-                return ReactAddons.addons.cloneWithProps(child, {
+
+                // Since refs will be overwritten by this functions return statement,
+                // we still want to be able to define refs for nested `Form` or `Property`
+                // children, which is why we're upfront simply invoking the callback-ref-
+                // function before overwriting it.
+                if(typeof child.ref === 'function' && this.refs[child.props.name]) {
+                    child.ref(this.refs[child.props.name]);
+                }
+
+                return React.cloneElement(child, {
                     handleChange: this.handleChangeChild,
                     ref: child.props.name,
                     key: i,
diff --git a/js/components/ascribe_forms/form_register_piece.js b/js/components/ascribe_forms/form_register_piece.js
index 76bbd68e..232ef444 100644
--- a/js/components/ascribe_forms/form_register_piece.js
+++ b/js/components/ascribe_forms/form_register_piece.js
@@ -17,7 +17,9 @@ import AscribeSpinner from '../ascribe_spinner';
 
 import { getLangText } from '../../utils/lang_utils';
 import { mergeOptions } from '../../utils/general_utils';
-import { formSubmissionValidation, displayValidFilesFilter } from '../ascribe_uploader/react_s3_fine_uploader_utils';
+import { formSubmissionValidation,
+        displayValidFilesFilter,
+        displayRemovedFilesFilter } from '../ascribe_uploader/react_s3_fine_uploader_utils';
 
 
 let RegisterPieceForm = React.createClass({
@@ -50,9 +52,7 @@ let RegisterPieceForm = React.createClass({
     getInitialState(){
         return mergeOptions(
             {
-                digitalWorkKeyReady: false,
-                thumbnailKeyReady: true,
-                thumbnailKeyDialogExpanded: false
+                digitalWorkFile: null
             },
             UserStore.getState()
         );
@@ -84,31 +84,34 @@ let RegisterPieceForm = React.createClass({
         };
     },
 
-    handleSelectFiles(files) {
-        const validFiles = files.filter(displayValidFilesFilter);
-
-        if(validFiles.length > 0) {
-            const { type: mimeType } = validFiles[0];
-            const mimeSubType = mimeType && mimeType.split('/').length ? mimeType.split('/')[1]
-                                                                       : 'unknown';
-            const thumbnailKeyDialogExpanded = AppConstants.supportedThumbnailFileFormats.indexOf(mimeSubType) === -1;
-            this.setState({ thumbnailKeyDialogExpanded });
-        } else {
-            // Reset the thumbnail that has been set in `handleSelectFilesThumbnail`
-            let file = this.refs.form.refs.digital_work_key.refs.input.refs.fineuploader.state.filesToUpload[0];
-            file.type = '';
-            file.url = '';
-
+    handleChangedDigitalWork(digitalWorkFile) {
+        if (digitalWorkFile &&
+            (digitalWorkFile.status === 'deleted' || digitalWorkFile.status === 'canceled')) {
             this.refs.form.refs.thumbnail_file.reset();
-            this.setState({ thumbnailKeyDialogExpanded: false });
+            this.setState({ digitalWorkFile: null });
+        } else {
+            this.setState({ digitalWorkFile });
         }
     },
 
-    handleSelectFilesThumbnail([thumbnailFile, ]) {
-        // This is truly terrible, but at least we're not coding this mess into ReactS3Fineuploader
-        let file = this.refs.form.refs.digital_work_key.refs.input.refs.fineuploader.state.filesToUpload[0];
-        file.type = thumbnailFile.type;
-        file.url = thumbnailFile.url;
+    handleChangedThumbnail(thumbnailFile) {
+        const { digitalWorkFile } = this.state;
+        const { fineuploader } = this.refs.digitalWorkFineUploader.refs;
+
+        fineuploader.setThumbnailForFileId(digitalWorkFile.id, thumbnailFile.url);
+    },
+
+    isThumbnailDialogExpanded() {
+        const { digitalWorkFile } = this.state;
+
+        if(digitalWorkFile) {
+            const { type: mimeType } = digitalWorkFile;
+            const mimeSubType = mimeType && mimeType.split('/').length ? mimeType.split('/')[1]
+                                                                       : 'unknown';
+            return AppConstants.supportedThumbnailFileFormats.indexOf(mimeSubType) === -1;
+        } else {
+            return false;
+        }
     },
 
     render() {
@@ -122,8 +125,7 @@ let RegisterPieceForm = React.createClass({
                 location,
                 children,
                 enableLocalHashing } = this.props;
-        const { currentUser,
-                thumbnailKeyDialogExpanded } = this.state;
+        const { currentUser} = this.state;
 
         const profileHashLocally = currentUser && currentUser.profile ? currentUser.profile.hash_locally : false;
         const hashLocally = profileHashLocally && enableLocalHashing;
@@ -155,8 +157,9 @@ let RegisterPieceForm = React.createClass({
                 <Property
                     name="digital_work_key"
                     ignoreFocus={true}
-                    label={'Your Work'}>
+                    label={getLangText('Your Work')}>
                     <InputFineUploader
+                        ref={ref => this.refs.digitalWorkFineUploader = ref}
                         keyRoutine={{
                             url: AppConstants.serverUrl + 's3/key/',
                             fileClass: 'digitalwork'
@@ -172,17 +175,18 @@ let RegisterPieceForm = React.createClass({
                         disabled={!isFineUploaderEditable}
                         enableLocalHashing={hashLocally}
                         uploadMethod={location.query.method}
-                        handleSelectFiles={this.handleSelectFiles}/>
+                        handleChangedFile={this.handleChangedDigitalWork}/>
                 </Property>
                 <Property
                     name="thumbnail_file"
-                    expanded={thumbnailKeyDialogExpanded}>
+                    expanded={this.isThumbnailDialogExpanded()}>
                     <InputFineUploader
+                        ref={ref => this.refs.thumbnailFineUploader = ref}
                         fileInputElement={UploadButton({ className: 'btn btn-secondary btn-sm' })}
                         createBlobRoutine={{
                             url: ApiUrls.blob_thumbnails
                         }}
-                        handleSelectFiles={this.handleSelectFilesThumbnail}
+                        handleChangedFile={this.handleChangedThumbnail}
                         isReadyForFormSubmission={formSubmissionValidation.atLeastOneUploadedFile}
                         keyRoutine={{
                             url: AppConstants.serverUrl + 's3/key/',
diff --git a/js/components/ascribe_forms/input_fineuploader.js b/js/components/ascribe_forms/input_fineuploader.js
index 8d1ad70e..eb20fcd1 100644
--- a/js/components/ascribe_forms/input_fineuploader.js
+++ b/js/components/ascribe_forms/input_fineuploader.js
@@ -52,7 +52,7 @@ const InputFineUploader = React.createClass({
             singular: string,
             plural: string
         }),
-        handleSelectFiles: func
+        handleChangedFile: func
     },
 
     getDefaultProps() {
@@ -106,7 +106,7 @@ const InputFineUploader = React.createClass({
                 enableLocalHashing,
                 fileClassToUpload,
                 uploadMethod,
-                handleSelectFiles } = this.props;
+                handleChangedFile } = this.props;
         let editable = this.props.isFineUploaderActive;
 
         // if disabled is actually set by property, we want to override
@@ -145,7 +145,7 @@ const InputFineUploader = React.createClass({
                 enableLocalHashing={enableLocalHashing}
                 uploadMethod={uploadMethod}
                 fileClassToUpload={fileClassToUpload}
-                handleSelectFiles={handleSelectFiles}/>
+                handleChangedFile={handleChangedFile}/>
         );
     }
 });
diff --git a/js/components/ascribe_forms/property.js b/js/components/ascribe_forms/property.js
index 4d01790d..063d27dd 100644
--- a/js/components/ascribe_forms/property.js
+++ b/js/components/ascribe_forms/property.js
@@ -231,7 +231,16 @@ const Property = React.createClass({
         // if the component is actually being shown (!== 'expanded === false')
         if((this.state.expanded && this.props.checkboxLabel) || !this.props.checkboxLabel) {
             return ReactAddons.Children.map(this.props.children, (child) => {
-                return ReactAddons.addons.cloneWithProps(child, {
+
+                // Since refs will be overriden by this functions return statement,
+                // we still want to be able to define refs for nested `Form` or `Property`
+                // children, which is why we're upfront simply invoking the callback-ref-
+                // function before overriding it.
+                if(typeof child.ref === 'function' && this.refs.input) {
+                    child.ref(this.refs.input);
+                }
+
+                return React.cloneElement(child, {
                     style,
                     onChange: this.handleChange,
                     onFocus: this.handleFocus,
diff --git a/js/components/ascribe_uploader/ascribe_file_drag_and_drop/file_drag_and_drop_preview.js b/js/components/ascribe_uploader/ascribe_file_drag_and_drop/file_drag_and_drop_preview.js
index 5528ec25..ca1be2d2 100644
--- a/js/components/ascribe_uploader/ascribe_file_drag_and_drop/file_drag_and_drop_preview.js
+++ b/js/components/ascribe_uploader/ascribe_file_drag_and_drop/file_drag_and_drop_preview.js
@@ -106,12 +106,13 @@ const FileDragAndDropPreview = React.createClass({
         let previewElement;
 
         // Decide whether an image or a placeholder picture should be displayed
-        if(file.type.split('/')[0] === 'image') {
+        // If a file has its `thumbnailUrl` defined, then we display it also as an image
+        if(file.type.split('/')[0] === 'image' || file.thumbnailUrl) {
             previewElement = (
                 <FileDragAndDropPreviewImage
                     onClick={this.handleDeleteFile}
                     progress={file.progress}
-                    url={file.url}
+                    url={file.thumbnailUrl || file.url}
                     toggleUploadProcess={this.toggleUploadProcess}
                     areAssetsDownloadable={areAssetsDownloadable}
                     downloadUrl={file.s3UrlSafe}
diff --git a/js/components/ascribe_uploader/react_s3_fine_uploader.js b/js/components/ascribe_uploader/react_s3_fine_uploader.js
index 8c1ddef0..c5d2cb1c 100644
--- a/js/components/ascribe_uploader/react_s3_fine_uploader.js
+++ b/js/components/ascribe_uploader/react_s3_fine_uploader.js
@@ -48,7 +48,7 @@ const ReactS3FineUploader = React.createClass({
                 number
             ])
         }),
-        handleSelectFiles: func, // is for when a file is dropped or selected
+        handleChangedFile: func, // is for when a file is dropped or selected
         submitFile: func, // is for when a file has been successfully uploaded, TODO: rename to handleSubmitFile
         autoUpload: bool,
         debug: bool,
@@ -389,6 +389,19 @@ const ReactS3FineUploader = React.createClass({
         });
     },
 
+    setThumbnailForFileId(fileId, url) {
+        const { filesToUpload } = this.state;
+
+        if(fileId < filesToUpload.length) {
+            const changeSet = { $set: url };
+            const newFilesToUpload = React.addons.update(filesToUpload, { [fileId]: { thumbnailUrl: changeSet } });
+
+            this.setState({ filesToUpload: newFilesToUpload });
+        } else {
+            throw new Error("You're accessing an index out of range of filesToUpload");
+        }
+    },
+
     /* FineUploader specific callback function handlers */
 
     onUploadChunk(id, name, chunkData) {
@@ -525,8 +538,8 @@ const ReactS3FineUploader = React.createClass({
         // when a upload is canceled, we need to update this components file array
         this.setStatusOfFile(id, 'canceled')
             .then(() => {
-                if(typeof this.props.handleSelectFiles === 'function') {
-                    this.props.handleSelectFiles(this.state.filesToUpload);
+                if(typeof this.props.handleChangedFile === 'function') {
+                    this.props.handleChangedFile(this.state.filesToUpload[id]);
                 }
             });
 
@@ -624,8 +637,8 @@ const ReactS3FineUploader = React.createClass({
         // and display an error message
         this.setStatusOfFile(fileId, 'deleted')
             .then(() => {
-                if(typeof this.props.handleSelectFiles === 'function') {
-                    this.props.handleSelectFiles(this.state.filesToUpload);
+                if(typeof this.props.handleChangedFile === 'function') {
+                    this.props.handleChangedFile(this.state.filesToUpload[fileId]);
                 }
             });
 
@@ -872,8 +885,10 @@ const ReactS3FineUploader = React.createClass({
             // information to the outside components, so they can act on it (in our case, because
             // we want the user to define a thumbnail when the actual work is not renderable
             // (like e.g. a .zip file))
-            if(typeof this.props.handleSelectFiles === 'function') {
-                this.props.handleSelectFiles(this.state.filesToUpload);
+            if(typeof this.props.handleChangedFile === 'function') {
+                // its save to assume that the last file in `filesToUpload` is always
+                // the latest file added
+                this.props.handleChangedFile(this.state.filesToUpload.slice(-1)[0]);
             }
         });
     },
diff --git a/js/components/ascribe_uploader/react_s3_fine_uploader_utils.js b/js/components/ascribe_uploader/react_s3_fine_uploader_utils.js
index cd1dbce2..ed76c5e8 100644
--- a/js/components/ascribe_uploader/react_s3_fine_uploader_utils.js
+++ b/js/components/ascribe_uploader/react_s3_fine_uploader_utils.js
@@ -42,6 +42,15 @@ export function displayValidFilesFilter(file) {
     return file.status !== 'deleted' && file.status !== 'canceled';
 }
 
+/**
+ * Filter function for filtering all files except for deleted and canceled files
+ * @param  {object} file A file from filesToUpload that has status as a prop.
+ * @return {boolean}
+ */
+export function displayRemovedFilesFilter(file) {
+    return file.status === 'deleted' || file.status === 'canceled';
+}
+
 
 /**
  * Filter function for which files to integrate in the progress process